Lin Zihan had not attended court for seven consecutive days.
All the officials had no idea what had happened. They only knew from what Prime Minister Zhang had said that Lin Zihan was on sick leave due to poor health.
The emperor, who had been waiting for good news from him, no matter how slow, sensed something fishy. Gradually, he no longer held hope in his heart.
In the sixteenth year of Long'an, early May.
The scholars waiting for the palace examination in the capital received a desperate piece of news: the results of this year's spring imperial examination were all invalid!
As soon as the imperial edict was issued, all the scholars in the capital were in an uproar. Then they gathered together, looking as if they were about to storm the palace gate angrily.
They had endured decades of hard study in the cold window. The spring imperial examination was held only once every three years. They had finally passed the metropolitan examination and were just waiting for the palace examination to end to become candidate officials.
As a result, with just one imperial edict, all their years of hard work were in vain. Who could bear such a thing?
"We passed the metropolitan examination with our real talents. Why are the results invalid?"
"That's right. If we're not given a reason today, we might as well storm the palace gate!"
"Master Yan is right. We might as well storm the palace gate!"
An undercurrent was surging in the capital. The usually bustling nights now saw few people going out. Something was about to explode at any moment; it just needed a fuse.
This situation lasted for three days. The patience of the scholars in the capital was almost exhausted, and some people couldn't hold back their impatience and were about to take action.
Just then, the regent king stepped forward.
At noon on the third day after the imperial edict invalidating the results was issued, Shang Mozheng stood in front of the scholars under the early summer sun.
"Everyone, I know that no one is willing to accept the invalidation of the spring imperial examination results. But the court had no choice but to make this decision. It's because there was fraud in this year's spring imperial examination. Four officials from the Ministry of Rites were all involved in the case. To ensure fairness, the court had to make this decision."
"But you scholars don't need to worry. I will surely ask the emperor to hold a special imperial examination next year. By then, you can come to the capital to take the exam again. I will bear all the travel expenses."
"I believe that if you truly have real talents, since you can pass once, you will surely be able to pass the second time."
These words not only clarified the reason but also won the favor of the scholars.
The next day, the court issued an imperial edict to hold a special imperial examination. The undercurrent that had lasted for three days in the capital was thus resolved.
All the scholars in the capital remembered the kindness of the regent king. The emperor, who should have stepped forward, became a by - stander and even took the blame.
"Brother Emperor, do you think I'm a very failed emperor?"
In the inner palace, the young emperor lay dejectedly on the small table. The vigor of youth had almost disappeared.
"He said things like 'requesting the emperor to hold a special imperial examination' and 'bearing all the expenses single - handedly'. It seems that this fraud in the spring imperial examination has nothing to do with him at all?!"
"Your Majesty, this fraud in the spring imperial examination may really have nothing to do with the regent king."
Although he was reluctant to admit it, Shang Luoshu still helplessly explained, "I've received news that this fraud in the spring imperial examination was all done by those four officials from the Ministry of Rites behind the regent king's back. Then, afraid of taking responsibility, they used the regent king's name to accept bribes."
That was why Shang Mozheng had not hesitated to execute the four of them.
After so many years of investigation and interaction, Shang Luoshu boasted that he knew this uncle quite well. He might really want the throne, but he wouldn't joke about serious matters.
The spring imperial examination was a window for the court to select talents once every three years. Once fraud was allowed to sneak in, one could almost imagine what kind of people would be standing in the court hall in the future.
He had reason to believe that even if there had been no impeachment from Prime Minister Lu, those four officials from the Ministry of Rites and those examinees who had obtained the exam questions would not have had a good end in the future.
However, he couldn't say these words in front of the emperor.
"Your Majesty, in my opinion, the most important thing now is to accumulate strength so that we can compete with Shang Mozheng in the future."
"In the future? Compete?!" Shang Luoze suddenly propped himself up, losing control of his emotions. "Except for Prime Minister Lu and you, Brother Emperor, almost everyone in the court is on his side. What can I use to fight against him?"
Knowing that he was anxious, Shang Luoshu could only console him, "Your Majesty, you can't eat hot tofu in a hurry."
"Brother Emperor, don't try to console me. I know very well in my heart that Shang Mozheng will surely seize the throne sooner or later."
Lin Zihan hadn't gone to court for seven days, and Lu Yinxi had also stayed at home without going out for seven days. To be precise, she had been blocked for seven days.
These days, no matter where she went, Hongrui would surely follow her attentively and firmly prevent the fourth young lady from leaving the prime minister's mansion.
For this reason, the two had even fought in a deserted corner of the prime minister's mansion. As expected, the young girl was badly beaten.
Having lived in the last days in her previous life, Lu Yinxi's moves were always aimed at killing. But compared with the real killer Hongrui, her skills were not good enough.
"A killer and a spy. Did Shang Luoshu send you two to me because he really has feelings for me?"
On another day when she couldn't go out, after accompanying Lady Lu to chant scriptures, the young girl's mood was surprisingly calm, and she even had the time to joke.
Hongrui and Hongmei glanced at each other and silently lowered their heads without answering.
Actually, they also had this suspicion, but unlike the fourth young lady, they didn't dare to say such things boldly.
"If you don't say anything, I'll assume that your master really likes me?"
They definitely couldn't just admit it. Their master's feelings were not something they, the servants, could decide. So as soon as the words fell, Hongmei quickly said, "Fourth young lady, this servant has something to report."
She carefully glanced at the young girl. Seeing that she didn't object, she continued, "At the last spring banquet, weren't you trying to find out who pushed you?"
Lu Yinxi remembered this. It was because of that push that she almost bumped into that precious young master of the Kong family. If it hadn't been for Shang Luoshu's timely action...
After returning home, she had always wanted to find out who had pushed her. However, being unfamiliar with the place and the people, she had no clue at all. So she had left this matter to Hongmei.
"Did you find out?"
"This servant doesn't dare to take credit. It was the prince who found out."
It was Shang Luoshu again. The young girl pouted and asked, "Who was it?"
"It was the third young lady."
At the same time, at the back door of the prime minister's mansion, an old woman and a young girl were nervously following the nursemaid into the mansion.
The old woman was wearing a coarse cloth robe. The little girl behind her was dressed a bit better, but still far inferior to the maids in the mansion.
"Sister, is it really the second lady who wants to see me?"
The old woman trotted a few steps to catch up with the person in front and asked obsequiously with a smile.
If Lu Yinxi had been here, she would surely have recognized that this person was Aunt Liu from the estate.
"Shut up. There's no longer a second lady in the mansion."
Nursemaid Zhou looked away with extreme disgust and walked ahead of the two again.
She was the nursemaid beside the master and had a very prestigious status. But unfortunately, she had a handle in Concubine Wang's hands, so she was forced by her to bring Aunt Liu into the mansion.
Getting a cold shoulder, Aunt Liu smiled awkwardly and took a few steps back. But in her heart, a huge wave was set off.
The second lady had fallen from power?
In her opinion, there were two interpretations of the disappearance of the second lady. One was that Lady Lu had died, and the second lady had become the legitimate mistress; the other was that the second lady had become a concubine again.
If it was the first situation, such good news couldn't have failed to reach the estate.
However, since Lu Yinxi had left, except for the regular rent collection, no one from the mansion had ever been to the estate.
Aunt Liu had no more油水to take. But she had already gotten used to living extravagantly. Especially since there was a gambler in her family, in order to maintain this kind of life, she had to keep pawning things.
The clothes she was wearing now were the only ones in her family that were decent enough to be worn out.
In this case, there was only one possibility left.
Thinking like this, Nursemaid Zhou had already led Aunt Liu to a quiet and dilapidated house and stopped.
"Concubine Wang, I've brought the person you wanted."